


By Your Side

by GhostlyMer



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Aron leaves the group, Bittersweet Ending, Cultural Differences, M/M, Secrets, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, The boys enlist, Time Skips, bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29373744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostlyMer/pseuds/GhostlyMer
Summary: 50 years ago the government created a way to find peoples soulmates by doing a simple blood test. Within a few hours a name and birth date would appear on your wrist. Even if the person wasn't born yet as they learned when it became more popular that some societies began to have the test done along with other newborn exams. 50 years later, some countries it's still optional for everyone and most opt out. When Aron arrives to Korea, his wristband covering his soulmark, the others are curious but understand it's private. Not everyone understands though, and not everyone wants their friend to be their soulmate.
Relationships: Aaron Kwak | Aron/Choi Minki | Ren
Kudos: 8





	By Your Side

Fifty years ago, the government began to roll out a test that would reveal your soulmate with a simple blood test. No one really understood how it worked but it seemed to work nearly like magic, of course people questioned it, but no one really cared as long as they got their happily ever after. Within a month the test had caused divorces to rise as people realized their soulmates were not those that they were with but instead in-laws or childhood friends. Fifty years later, it was common practice to have your newborn tested along with other newborn exams so they would have their soulmate from day one. Even if their soulmate weren’t born yet, the birthdate would appear first, and the name would the day they were born. Some countries didn’t care for the test and nearly no one had their wrists covered. When Nuest is formed, of the five boys, only one has their wrist covered. It’s a surprise, but not entirely when they learn the boy is from the united states. Aron explains best he can that nearly everyone has their soulmarks in the states. He’s never met someone without it, but he’s also amazed not a single one of them has theirs, but he knows the name under his band, know that there’s at least someone with the same name in front of him looking at him with curious wide eyes. It’s not till they learn each other’s birthday that he’s convinced this boy is his soulmate. He doesn’t comment though and keeps it hidden. During events, Aron covers it with tattoo tape privately, so no one sees it. Aron is aware that he isn’t exactly subtle in his affections, but he makes it up by being affectionate towards all the boys. He’s the oldest after all.

When they’re in Japan and he’s sharing a room with Mingi, the curiosity gets the best of the younger boy and he asks about it. The four of them having never questioned it understanding that it’s a private thing. As Aron’s getting dressed, the band already around his wrist, Mingi asks him his burning question.

“Do you know your soulmate?” he asks, his head tilted to the side in question. Aron pauses drying his hair to look over at him, dropping his arms and the towel onto his lap. Asking Mingi what he means.

“The name, obviously you must know them. It’s been twenty-two years, surely you must have met them, right?” Aron laughs a bit and nods.

“Yeah, I know them. But I’m not ready for them to know.”

“They don’t know?” Aron raises an eyebrow at him and Mingi raises one back.

“Nearly everyone we know has no mark, Mingi. I would have to tell them.” The younger boy hums in agreement and goes back to his phone. Aron watching him a bit before finishing up drying his hair.

Two years go by from there when the boys decide their group is in danger and they plan to go onto a survival program to get their talents seen and get the Nuest name out there again in a last-ditch effort. Aron sits out due to injuries and supports them best he can from behind the scenes. Making them filling meals during the weekends, voting for them, and getting his friends to do the same. Giving them tips when asked, cheering them up. It’s difficult for him to be away from all four of them but he deals and when Minhyun wins and is placed in the winning group for two years he hugs Minhyun backstage and tells him he’ll be back with them before he knows it. When Nuest W debuts, he’s terrified. Happy but terrified. Many of their fans now are there because of the three beside him, he’s a stranger to them. During their concert, he thanks the new fans, hopes they’ll accept him and allow him to try and win their hearts over as well and the three laugh and hug him tightly as the fans cheer and shout for him; Linking their hands, they bow and finish the end of the concert. At a fansign a year later, Aron decides to wear a band instead of his usual tape. A fan asks about it and he explains best he can because many fans don’t understand why he covers it. It’s not a common practice there.

“In the states, everyone gets their soulmates when they’re a newborn. By covering it, I’m being respectful of the person whose name is written there. That’s all.” The fan jokes and asks if it’s her name under the band and Aron grins with a wink which sends her into a laughing fit as he signs the page she marked. The day thankfully goes by with no events, he always worries when he wears an actual band and not the tape. It’s basically just a sweatband but a different material, it’d be easy to yank off. They’d see something, either the name or the date. The name would ruin him, the date the fans could connect dots and figure it out easily. No one knows what his mark says, his mother knows but only because she had to fix the band when he was a baby whenever he got it too dirty or it got wet. His dad and sisters don’t know though every day he wants to tell his sisters at least. They’d have suggestions for him. When the boys used to sleep in his room closer to debut just because or when they felt sick, they’d cuddle up with him and he’d panic they’d look but they never did. When asked, Dongho laughed and said _It’s personal to you hyung. It would be like peeking into your room when you’re getting dressed. It’s rude and creepy._ Aron had relaxed then, and no ones mentioned any names or dates, so he knows they haven’t ever peeked. Everything goes to hell though during their Love Me promos. They had heard mentions about the challenge a few months ago but thought nothing of it, that it was just some comments. Some fans, or antis depending on how you looked at it, had made it a goal to remove his band to see his soulmark. It was just a name and date after all. Who would go through so much trouble to hide it? It comes to fruition when he goes to shake hands with a fan, she smiles and reaches a bit further to hook her fingers under the band and yank. Aron reacts in panic, yanking his arm back as the fan tightens her fingers. The band ripping off his arm making him stand and hold his arm against his chest, mark hidden as he glares at her. Jonghyun standing mid-signing and scolding her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He grabs for the band, but the girl holds it out of reach as a guard grabs it from her, handing it back to Aron as she shouts.

“Everyone wants to know what it says! It’s been years, just tell us! It’s not that serious!”

“It’s none of your business what’s there.” Minhyun says, helping Aron put the band on without exposing his name to anyone including himself and Aron thanks him and settles back into his chair. The girl being escorted out as her information is taken down and placed on a blacklist. A few fans apologize for the behavior, his mood is dampened because of the situation but he smiles softly at them and says they don’t have to apologize. He doesn’t wear a band to fansigns again. A few antis call him a coward when they notice, and Aron laughs about it. He knows he doesn’t have to explain himself, but he decides to anyway. Taking a week to get the letter perfect before he sends it out.

 _Many of you are aware of the incident that happened at the fansign a few weeks ago when a fan tore off my wristband. Some fans thought that I was overreacting and even cowardly now that I refuse to wear a wristband, opting for tape during fansigns now instead. I want you guys to understand. I know these marks aren’t a bit deal here in Korea, but it’s a big one back in the states. Where I’m from. It’s a cultural thing, no one would dare try to see my mark there. As Dongho explained once; Trying to peek at my mark is like looking into my room when I’m getting dressed. It’s_ private _and_ personal _. So_ please _stop trying to figure it out. My soulmate isn’t even aware I’m their soulmate, and they won’t until they’re ready. I’m keeping it hidden for their sake as well._

He posts the note and isn’t surprised when news articles start coming out. Other Korean American idols back his claim, saying very few and only certain people know who their mark names. That they’d be absolutely mortified if what happened to Aron happened to them and he’s taking it well for what the mark means to them. The influx of positivity outweighs the few negative comments he saw, refusing to acknowledge the comments from netizens claiming his soulmate is a guy solely due to how he spoke. Not saying a gender which makes him laugh, he knows his sexuality. Knows he’s been bi since he was a preteen. This wasn’t news to him. While at home, now that they all live alone, he no longer wears the band. Always having it in his pocket just in case someone shows up unexpectedly. Sitting on the couch, he’s watching tv when the name catches his eye, running his thumb over it he sighs. Aron wonders if he’ll ever be able to tell Mingi or the other boys; knows that he’d love Mingi even without the mark saying they’re soulmates. He’s lost in his thoughts when the beep of his door brings him out of them, and he pulls the band from his pocket to put it on. Minhyun coming in with some food and smiles as he toes off his shoes.

“Hey, staring at your name again?” Aron looks over at him curiously and shakes his head. Minhyun raising an eyebrow as he sits beside the older boy, setting the food on the coffee table.

“I wish you could tell the person. I’m sure they’d want to know.” Aron laughs and shakes his head.

“No, I know their opinion on this. They don’t like the idea of soulmates.” Minhyun pauses in taking the food out of the bag and looks at him.

“You’ve met your soulmate?” Aron hesitates, realizing aside from Mingi a few years ago, no one else knows he’s met them.

“Uh… Yeah. A few years ago. I’m still close with them.” Minhyun eyes him and glances at his wrist before looking back.

“Is it… it’s not me, right?” His laugh echoes through the living room surprising his dogs as he shakes his head. Waving his hands in a ‘no-no’ motion. Minhyun looking a little offended at the laughter but relaxes a bit when Aron relaxes and rubs over the band; he’s never told anyone that wasn’t his sisters. Minhyun is basically his brother, having stayed with his family when he was new to Korea and visiting all the time; the others mom basically considered him her second son. He hesitates before taking the band off, holding it out to Minhyun to see who immediately covers his eyes once he realizes what he did.

“Wait, are you serious?! Aron, you don’t have to prove it’s not my name, I believe you.” Minhyun keeps his eyes shut when Aron chuckles.

“As long as you don’t plan to go blabbing to the others or demand I be removed from the group, then yes. I’m serious. You’re like my brother, Minhyun. I’ve told my sisters, it’s only fair.” Minhyun hesitates but peeks an eye open and sees Mingi’s name scrawled out on Aron’s wrist and feels his jaw drop before he looks at Aron and back.

“Honestly, it makes sense. You’re different with him.” Minhyun continues, talking about all the times Aron would lay beside Mingi around debut when he got night terrors, when he’d stand close during airport trips to protect him after the one incident. When Aron slips food he doesn’t like onto Mingi’s plate when he’s not looking, knowing the boy loves the food. Aron laughs and asks if the boys been trying to figure it out and Minhyun shakes his head.

“No, I think it’s just more obvious when you’re one of the four under your affection. You treat us all amazingly, don’t get me wrong, just… the way you treat Mingi,” he pauses, searching for the best word before he settles on it looking at Aron as he says it. “It’s softer.” Aron frowns and sets the band on the table, grabbing the food before it got too cold and began to eat. Minhyun doing the same as they both settle back on the couch.

“By the way, Mingi’s been thinking about getting the test.” Aron chokes on the food a bit and looks at Minhyun in shock.

“What!? Why didn’t you start with that!?” Minhyun shrugs and Aron groans hoping the boy doesn’t do it. Knowing within a few hours his own name will appear on Mingi’s wrist and said soulmate will storm into his apartment, upset, pissed off and yelling. He just hopes it’s not a bad reaction.

When Mingi does get the test it’s not till after his musical is over, a few days after in September of 2020, Aron is greeted with a pissed off Mingi entering his home as he cooks dinner. Mingi storming into the kitchen and shoving his wrist into Aron’s face. Aron focusing on his name and birthdate scrawled across his wrist. Aron frowns and glances at him as Mingi starts yelling, flailing his hands a few times to get his point across.

“You didn’t tell me! You’ve obviously known for ten years!”

“You wouldn’t have believed me even if I had told you, plus you said you never cared about getting your mark, why did you even get it!?” Mingi glares at him and shouts that he’s not turning this onto him. That he’s pissed off about Aron hiding it from him when Aron turns off the stove and turns towards him. His voice steady as he explains everything though he can feel his hands shaking.

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you didn’t want to be _forced_ into anything. I would’ve loved you with or without your name printed on my wrist. It was instant that I knew this, I didn’t know you were the Choi Mingi on my wrist until we learned our birthdays nearly a year later. When I realized it was you, I was ecstatic! Then I remembered all of our conversations. You never came to me to suddenly tell me you loved me, you hated me at the beginning. So of course, I never told you. I wasn’t going to out either one of us to society either.” Mingi stares at him after the long speech, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arm in irritation. Knowing Aron was right, that he didn’t love him, not the way Aron loves him. He hated the idea of soulmates; he only got the test because he wanted to know if he even had someone out there. He never really felt anything for basically anyone, Aron was the first to come close but he just, doesn’t see him as his soulmate. Aron is his best friend, his brother basically. How could he possible be _with_ him? Aron turns back to the stove as Mingi stays quiet, asking softly if he’s staying for dinner. He says no and leaves shortly after the silence in the kitchen grows to be too much. Aron pauses when the door closes with a soft beep. His dogs coming up to him with a soft whine, he pats them both and laughs saying he’s fine.

“I had just hoped his reaction would have been better.”

A few days go by, Aron talking to the boys on the phone and in person aside from Mingi. Both of them keeping their distance in person and not texting or calling on the phone. Aron was left on read when he asked Mingi if he was still coming to their movie night. That day though, Aron glared at his phone as Minhyun and Dongho called almost right after one another. A few texts coming in as well. He knew he had to go to practice soon, but he didn’t expect them to be there already wondering where he was. When he answered the fifth call, he was shocked to hear Jonghyun say that it was Mingi.

“He’s panicking? He got his soulmark a few days ago, he won’t show any of us and you usually help calm him down.” Aron sighs and wonders if he can get away with not going but says he’ll be there in five minutes and hangs up to get his shoes and head out. Once at the company, he heads downstairs to their practice room and sees Jonghyun rubbing Mingi’s back as he sits in a corner giving a bunch of shaky breaths. Dongho looks at him curiously and Minhyun wanders over to talk quietly when Aron suddenly spills out his question unable to stop him.

“Why don’t you get it removed if it upsets you so much? I figured you would have after how you left the other day.” Mingi looks over his shoulder at him as the other three looking at him in shock. Even Minhyun knowing the situation.

“Why don’t you?!”

“Only one of us is _upset_ over ours. My soulmate is an amazing person, regardless of their reaction to knowing. They’re my best friend, or was I guess.” Mingi is up and across the room before anyone can stop him, shoving Aron back harshly; the other boy stumbling back as Mingi shouts at him.

“Don’t make me the bad guy, you knew! For years!”

“Of course, I knew! I’ve had your name on my wrist since I was almost three! But I wasn’t about to reveal it to a bunch of strangers I just met! Nor someone who basically hated my guts once we started living together. I wanted this singing thing to work out, I wanted us to work out, you were my family. I couldn’t tell you, terrified you guys would remove me from the group.”

“Why did you think that?” Jonghyun asks now standing closer to the two to make sure no one swung a fist.

“Because all of you were talking about finding love without it being a soulmate. You all respected that I had one, but I thought it would be different if you knew what name I had on my wrist. That I was trying to corrupt him or court him or something.” Minhyun laughs and everyone looks at him weirdly. Minhyun shrugging before he looks at Aron.

“You _have_ been courting him.”

“Wait how did _Minhyun_ figure this out already? I’m barely understanding.” Mingi looks at Aron then even more pissed off.

“He _knew_?!”

“A week or so after the fansign incident, yeah.”

“That was… That was nearly a year ago.” He nods and Minhyun rubs his neck but shrugs.

“Why does it matter that he knew? Are you _that_ ashamed of me?!” The other two boys caught up then, knowing immediately what was going on as Dongho mumbled that it made a lot of sense now that he knew. Mingi hesitating to answer his question causing him to stutter over his answer. A worried but fake sounding answer leaving him.

“O-Of course not.” The four of them stare at Mingi then, the boy not good at lying and causing Aron to scoff before he begins to feel his chest ache. He just shakes his head and turns on his heel before rushing up the stairs and past a few staff and other singers. Apologizing when he bumps into someone. Minhyun rushing after him when Mingi just stands there. Dongho asking him if he really hates Aron being his soulmate that much. Mingi spinning to look at him and shouting.

“Yes! He’s… He’s Aron! He’s obnoxious and annoying, and doesn’t know when to stop, and…” Mingi flounders with anything else to say as Dongho continues for him.

“And _kind_ Mingi. You know he is, there are worse people to be soulmates with. You’ve seen how he cares for all of us, for his dogs. He even took care of Lucky for you that one time, you know he didn’t like cats.” Mingi sniffles and looks at the bold print on his wrist. Aron’s name staring back at him causing the guilt to hang even heavier on his shoulders.

“I just… I can’t love him like that. I know I can’t.” Minhyun comes back alone nearly fifteen minutes later and grabs his things he left behind.

“Aron’s leaving.” A cacophony of _what_ echoing behind him through the room, Minhyun turning to look at them, the boys surprised to see irritation on his face.

“He’s leaving. He said that he can’t do it anymore, it was one thing when Mingi didn’t know. But now that he does and is already treating him so differently and clearly is disgusted, he can’t. He won’t stay and ruin the dynamic of the group so he’s removing himself from the situation.” They stare in shock as Jonghyun yanks out his phone to stop him. Dongho rushing out to try and stop him at his apartment. When he gets to the apartment, he’s shocked to hear the decline alarm on the door before he tries again wondering if he put it in wrong in his rush. Upset and a bit hurt when he does it properly and it beeps in decline. Aron having changed to code when he got home immediately, knowing they’d try to stop him. Dongho pounds on the door as Aron’s phone rings on the other side.

“Aron please, open the door, you can’t just leave.”

“I’ve already decided, Dongho!” He ignores the boy on the other side of the door as he continues to pack, Minhyun and Jonghyun showing up afterwards and trying to get him to stop and comeback. To think this through more, that maybe Mingi will come around and Aron laughs at that. He knows it won’t happen. That Mingi won’t love him like that and will just go back to hating him like he did in the past.

Over the next few days, they keep trying and all Aron can think about is that he should have told Mingi, given him a heads up before he got the test maybe? But he didn’t know when he was going to do it _if_ he was going to do it. Why would he confess his soulmark to someone not ready if they weren’t going to even get the test? He writes out some notes to them all and leaves them on the coffee table, after all only a few things of the furniture were his, the rest were part of the apartment. He looks at everything and hooks the leashes onto his dogs before he makes sure all his boxes are in the living room. Someone will be by to send them back to the states, he heads out with his dogs, their crates, and his main set of suitcases to the lift he got and gets everything packed and ready to go. His phones been silent since early that morning. Surprised and a little hurt they’d give up after just a few days, but he understands. He hurt them. He just up and left but what was he supposed to do? He’ll get his mark removed once he’s back in the states. The name having been mocking him all weekend. Aron just wishes he could’ve properly said goodbye to them, but if he saw them, he’d stay. He knows he would, which is why he refuses to. He sends a text to their group chat and apologizes. Hoping they’ll be well and keep the group going without him.

Epilogue

Aron has been in LA for the last two weeks, putting off getting his mark removed now that he’s back home and continuing to wear his band anyway. He still hasn’t received anything from the boys and grows a bit concerned; hoping they’re okay when Grace sends him a news article about them. “Nuest to enlist and go on two-year hiatus” Aron stares at the headline in shock, he guesses that’s one way to avoid discussing him leaving. There’s no mention of him leaving to return to the states or anything and he finds it curious but doesn’t mention it to anyone.

Two years later, Aron is sitting in his living room of his small house when he hears Noah start barking outside. He gets up to shush him when he stops on his own, furrowing his brow, Aron goes to the front door and opens it seeing his four boys standing there and stares. Minhyun waving with a stupid grin as Dongho rushes over to hug him. He wasn’t exactly tactile when they lived together but two years away from him apparently makes him want to suffocate you in a hug.

“What are you doing here?”

“To bring you home, duh.” Mingi says as he pets Kkotsooni. Asking how she is as Noah accepts the belly rub from Jonghyun who’s sitting in the grass. Aron looks at them all and shakes his head.

“You know I’m not in the group anymore.”

“Please, we told the director you knew we wanted to enlist so you got a flight home sooner rather than later because of the holidays coming up. You didn’t want to spend more than you needed.” Aron stares at Mingi and notices that his wrist is bare, the ache he hadn’t felt since that day comes back and Mingi holds up a finger before he speaks.

“Make up. I couldn’t wear the tape or the band in the military, so I got permission to use waterproof make up. Works way better. I’m sorry how I acted…” Aron shakes his head and motions for them to come inside, the dogs following them as they all talk. Mingi still doesn’t think he can love Aron the same way the older boy loves him but he’s willing to try it if Aron agrees to come back. _We’ve still got a few more years left in us._ Jonghyun jokes and Minhyun laughs as Dongho whines. He got used to the work in the military that he might go back after they’re done with this chapter of their life if they’ll let him. Jonghyun thinks he’ll go back to school after, but they want to have a comeback. To say goodbye to fans that they hurt by abruptly enlisting. So, Aron agrees. Packs the few boxes back up that he actually unpacked and has the rest sent back to Korea. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have an apartment but Mingi fixes that with offering his guest bedroom.

“Of course, you can say no, I’m sure one of the others will let you stay.” Aron shakes his head and thanks him. Mingi asking about his band when they’re alone and Aron shows that his name is still there.

“I just couldn’t get it removed no matter how much I wanted to.”

“Do you still love me?” He nods, not looking at him as he grabs out some things for lunch to make everyone.

“Maybe someday I can return the feelings.” Aron looks at him and sees that he’s being genuine, and he nods.

“I waited thirty years, what’s a few more?” Mingi hugs him tightly and Aron tilts his head into the crook of his neck, he’s content with this for now. He’s content just being at Mingi’s side, even if that’s where he’ll always be. As long as he’s with him.


End file.
